October 2024

Congratulations to Reshma Tala on winning the Secondary Schools Division of the Sargeson Prize

From Catherine Chidgey, Associate Professor in Creative Writing and organizer of the Sargeson Prize one of Aotearoa's most prestigious short story competitions:

I'm delighted to let you know that last night (20 October 2024), Reshma Tala was awarded first prize in the Secondary Schools Division of the Sargeson Prize. She wins $2000 and a one-week summer writing residency at Waikato University, and her story will be published on ReadingRoom, the literary section of Newsroom.

Here are Chief Judge Harriet Allan's full remarks on Reshma's wonderful story: “The top position in the Secondary Schools Division is a story about grief – as indeed were nearly half of the entries in the longlist – but this one is also a celebration of a life and a person. What made this story stand out for me, though, is that it is told through the single colour red. This is not an easy thing to do, and yet the result is neither monotone nor monochrome. I’ve said in the past that short stories need to be like the Tardis, small on the outside but opening to a whole world inside. This is a Tardis. It is just two pages long, and yet we come away feeling as though we know the grandmother, we know the narrator, we know their relationship, and we know about the death. We are also given insight into growing up in a country that has a different language and culture from one’s family, and how traditions pass through the generations and yet can be hard to retain when away from their source. Furthermore, we come to understand how those traditions and how those key people in our lives centre us. It’s a seemingly simple story, but it is rich and moving.

First place goes to ‘Burgundy Bindi’ by Reshma Tala of Lynfield College, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland.”

https://authors.org.nz/sargeson-prize-for-short-stories-won-by-writer-of-topical-political-tale/

Reshma's win was also mentioned in the arts news on Radio NZ this afternoon - you can hear it at the 1:52 mark here:

https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/culture-101/audio/2018960560/arts-news-for-20-october-2024

Aziz Mookhtiar | Student Board Representative

Congratulations and a huge welcome from the Lynfield College School Board to Aziz Mookhtiar who was successful in his campaign to be elected to the position of Lynfield College School Board Student Representative for the October 2024 to October 2025 term. Below is Aziz's vote winning speech:

"What if high school wasn’t just a place we go to, but a place we actually love to be?" My name is Aziz Mookhtiar and I’m running for the Lynfield College School Board because I believe our high school years should be some of the best years of our lives. We deserve a school that’s full of energy, excitement, and opportunities to create unforgettable memories. That’s why I want to push for more student-led events, clubs, and activities, things that reflect YOUR passions and interests. Let’s make school a place where every student finds their moment to shine, whether on the field, on stage, or in the classroom. I want us all to feel secure and valued, so we can focus on what truly matters: enjoying our time together. If you want a school board representative who understands the importance of enjoying high school, learning new things, and who will act to make our school a better place for everyone, then I’m your choice. Let’s make high school a place we want to be. Vote for me, and let’s make it happen together!

Celebrate Niue Language Week from 13 to 19 October 2024

This year’s theme, Leveki mo e Feaki e Vagahau Niue ma Anoiha – Protect and Nurture Vagahau Niue for the Future, signals the critical need to preserve Niue’s language as a cultural foundation for future generations.

Gerardine Clifford-Lidstone, Secretary for Pacific Peoples, emphasises the importance of language as a cultural anchor: "Language is at the heart of a community’s identity and its survival. Niue Language Week is an opportunity to honour and protect Vagahau Niue while ensuring it continues to thrive among younger generations."

The week takes on even more significance for the community as Niue celebrates 50 years of self-governance this year. Activities during the week look forward to the next 50 years and are designed to strengthen language use across generations – particularly as 83% of New Zealand’s Niuean population are New Zealand-born and face challenges maintaining their connection to language, with 12% of Niueans in New Zealand currently speaking Vagahau Niue.

"We invite all New Zealanders to engage with Vagahau Niue across the week. This is about more than just learning words – it’s about supporting a vibrant, living culture," says Gerardine.

Lynfield College Music Presents Jazz and Soul

Join us for an excellent evening of Jazz and Soul starting at 6.00 pm on Tuesday 22 October in the Lynfield College Hall. Featuring five combos, two bands and the LC Tutors Band to finish. Gold coin entry makes this an excellent nights entertainment - excellent value for money for the whole family.

Festival Awards Evening 2024 

We are looking forward to celebrating the Sports, Arts and Cultural achievements of our students at the Festival Awards Evening on Thursday 17 October in the Lynfield College Hall. The event will be live streamed. This year we are delighted to confirm that past Lynfield College student and 2024 Paris Olympian, Tyla King (Black Ferns) will be our guest speaker.

Follow the Live Stream: https://www.youtube.com/live/pkbrWDM5UZY

Tōku Pūrākau (TP) Youth and the Give Back Community Event

Youthtown have been mentoring a number of our Lynfield Students this year. Over the last holiday break they were given an opportunity to help in the community. THis report is from Kanika (Neeks). 

The purpose of this Give Back Community day is to allow participants to understand community service and 'giving back' to the community. With Tōku Pūrakau being a mentoring programme, it focuses a lot on self-identity, motivation, purpose, and outcomes and with this community service day, it encourages participants to find purpose and understand that the act of serving can benefit others who are in need as well as themselves. It also encourages whakawhanaugatanga and helping others as a whole group. It’s a great opportunity for the group to connect with each other with the shared interest of helping others. This community day could also be used on a CV as volunteering experience or skillset if needed.

We collaborated with Communities Feeding Communities Intiative for our Give Back Community day who host a community base in Mt Roskill. Their initiative uses a holistic approach to provide to the community and familes in need by proving an urban living space to come in to connect with others in the community as well as a volunteering space to create food parcels and meals using produce from their community garden for families in need.

Our TP youth did a lot of hard mahi on this day:

• The urban living space was in need of a clean and rearranging so our TP youth scrubbed the cupboards, windows as well as threw out old foods and furniture.
• We also contributed some pantry items to refill their pataka kai, which we witnessed the community using very well.
• Our group worked really hard in the community by planting vegetables and mulching as well as transferring the mulch to all parts of the gardens.
• Food parcels were also packed which are for families in need and organisations that work with families in need.
• A representative from Grandparents Raising Grandchildren also came by to pick up packages for their annual meeting to give out to their clients and so some of our freshly packed boxes were loaded by our TP youth into their car.

Our TP youth worked very well together, there were skills of leadership, problem-solving, teamwork, a sense of purpose individually as well as in a group and we had some amazing feedback from parents stating how proud and happy they were that their children got to be a part of this.

There’s been a huge difference being evident since our first session and we look forward to continuing our journey with our youth and seeing their potential and growth flourish.

From left to right: Alvan Fruean, TJ Laumea, Viliami Koloto-Loholoho, Tiamo Wild, Milla Wild, Teuila Minton, Taylor Iuvale, Litia Tufunga, Leanne Tauia, and Shekynah Langkilde.